This story begins in the previous issue of Hilario Magazine when we present two vintage photographs - both in the small "Carte-de-visite" format - with posed studio portraits of the Tehuelche chief Casimiro Biguá and his daughter Juana , really early; works located in the city of Montevideo and without any indication of their photographic authorship. The analysis of these images - unknown to us to date - reinstated us in the life story of that special Tehuelche chief [1]. We also consulted a specialist in this topic, our great friend, Osvaldo Mondelo, author of the book "Tehuelches. Dance with photos" and of course the Tehuelche bibliography that works in our indigenous library to continue advancing in this way, on a chronicle that really enthusiasm. But, as happens so often, the publication allowed us to access new and revealing data that reformulate certain observations expressed in the first installment.
As we have expressed so many times, these are always stories in the making. And this time, a reader told us about the portraits made in Montevideo by the Jouant firm [2] where Biguá appeared in his military uniform in one, and his daughter, in the other. This reference already forced us to continue the search... And we found the author of the notes written on the back of each carte-de-visite mentioned in the May article. "Two sisters descended from the Scot Mac Coll maintained that Biguá had been in the field of his ancestor and, furthermore, that it was the image of his wife, not the chief's daughter." They affirmed that the Argentine chief had several children on John Mc Coll's ranch, one of the last was Pastor Ríos, thus baptized. It is known that that Scottish entrepreneur "had fields in Flores and Soriano, including the Chamangá ranch in the former" [3].
The subject had aroused great interest in this person, who years ago had visualized the two small carte-de-visite in a photographic album of the Mc Colls - more precisely, of his wife, Flora Mac Eachen (1833 - 1886) -, filled with portraits of the different members of that family group. On that occasion he spoke with the sisters, now in their eighties, and some time later he continued investigating this story to find the news published in a newspaper of the time, El Siglo, in the 1860s and in the middle of the Triple Alliance War: Biguá had arrived in Montevideo and in this city he was received with official honors; His daughter accompanied him. On the back of the photographs preserved in the BN of Uruguay it is indicated: El Siglo 21 June 1866; We imagine, the day when news was published about the visit of Biguá and his daughter. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to find that copy to inform us about what was announced there.
Image taken and sold by Jouant Hermanos, from Montevideo, in 1866. Photographs: Courtesy of the National Library of Uruguay.
During the Uruguayan stay we now confirm that Biguá and his inseparable Juana were portrayed by the renowned Jouant studio. One of the vintage photographs preserved in the National Library of Uruguay in Montevideo - another copy of the shot published in the previous issue of Hilario - is mounted on the original secondary support, a white cardboard lithographically printed in gold tone by the Jouant Hermanos firm [4] and the other two, a new surprise, different from those that gave rise to our previous article. This new discovery reinforces the idea of the special character of his journey. In one of them we see the Tehuelche chief dressed in the Argentine military uniform - with the captain's insignia and the cavalry cap frequently used by the so-called "friendly Indians" [5] - and in the remaining one, his daughter, with clothes urban use at the time. This Tehuelche transculturation exemplified through the truthful photographic image, deserves further study on our part... which we leave for later. The furniture in both records indicates that all the shots were taken in the posing gallery of the studio of the Jouant Hnos house, when it was already located at Ituzaingó Street N. 139, corner of Rincón, in the city of Montevideo. The column-type pedestal, the chair with a Solomonic backrest, the flowered carpet, the heavy curtains and the smooth and neutral background to highlight the figures and observable throughout the series, also allude to a single session where those portrayed varied their clothing with the objective to show its two cultural and social facets.
As we pointed out, the chronicle about his stay would have appeared in the newspaper El Siglo, of Montevideo in June 1866. On that occasion, Biguá stayed at the "Hotel Oriental", located on Solís Street No. 22, corner of Piedras, where today The headquarters of the Bank of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay is located. That Tehuelche chief had been appointed an army officer by Bartolomé Mitre, at that time president of the Argentine nation. Our kind oriental researcher also located another surprising chronicle: prior to his departure and wearing the uniform of the Argentine army, he was militarily honored by a Uruguayan regiment.
Before leaving the Uruguayan capital, he and his daughter visited the headquarters of the “Libertad” battalion, located on Sarandí street on the corner of Patagones (today Juan Lindolfo Cuestas). Biguá reviewed the battalion and, together with his daughter, they were entertained with a meal. Regarding this battalion, the military historian Alberto del Pino Menck informs us that, at that time: “it was commanded by Colonel Fortunato Flores, the eldest son of General Venancio Flores, provisional governor of Uruguay. Fortunato Flores revolted in February 1868 against his father's government, the “Libertad” battalion was dissolved and, with its remains, a new Battalion was formed that had the name “Constitutional” and which around 1869 was renamed the 1st Battalion of Hunters. ».
It is also said that Biguá gave a gift to General Flores, then the highest authority in Uruguay, a former ally of General Bartolomé Mitre, under whose command he had fought in the Battle of Pavón. With his support Flores began his attack against the Uruguayan president Bernardo Berro whom he displaced in the highest judiciary with the support of the Brazilian squad. That episode that occurred in the heroic city of Paysandú between the end of 1864 and the beginning of 1865, is assumed by history as the very origin of the War of the Triple Alliance held against the government of Paraguay.
But let us return to the passage of the chief Biguá through Uruguay around 1866. What reasons had prompted his trip to the other bank of the River Plate? Perhaps an unofficial mission between the heads of state already in the middle of the war against the government of Paraguay, let us remember that that Tehuelche chief had already fulfilled other tasks before the diplomacy of Chile and Argentina due to the territorial dispute of Patagonia, celebrating treaties with both governments; first with the Chilean authorities and later with the Argentine authorities, recognizing the sovereignty of that nation. Another possibility is that the link with John Mac Coll could well have originated in his commercial activity, since he had a ship called Ariadne associated in Buenos Aires with Guillermo Steward [6], or perhaps due to his membership in Freemasonry, one more reason than powerful as we will see.
Already installed in Uruguay, Mac Coll was one of the founders of the great Eastern Lodge, while Bartolomé Miter was another prominent Freemason on Argentine soil -Degree 33°-, and it is known that Biguá had traveled to Buenos Aires together with Luis Piedrabuena ( 1833 - 1883); southern seaman introduced into Freemasonry by the German photographer Adolfo Alexander [7]. Piedrabuena joined the Obedience Lodge in an act held during the presidency of President Bartolomé Miter. These secret links can explain much of what we now observe and are learning.
Relaxed, Casimiro Biguá, the Tehuelche chief, poses before the camera in the studio of the Argentine Photography firm. Montevideo. 1866. Photography: Courtesy of Alberto del Pino Menck.
In Buenos Aires, the portraits of Casimiro Biguá were made, among others, by the German Adolfo Alexander and, later in Montevideo, we have documented it through the French Jouant brothers. Also and posing informally - although with the same uniform and winch - the firm "Argentine Photography", located on 274 Sarandí Street in this capital city, immortalized him sitting on a chair, with no other setting than a studio rug and the smooth and neutral background of that cabinet.
We want to highlight that the River Plate photographic iconography made in both cities - Buenos Aires and Montevideo - towards the mid-1860s on the figure of the Tehuelche chief Casimiro Biguá and his daughter Juana, fully coincides with the rise of the popular business card or "Carte-de-visite" in French. This new technique represents the second universal stage of Photography, as it replaced the expensive daguerreotype with the negative-positive process with glass negatives emulsified with wet collodion and infinite copies on albumen or albuminated paper.
Using both techniques, the insightful French photographer André Adolphe Eugene Disdéri (1819 - 1889) patented a small format around 1854 - only 9 x 6 cm. - thanks to a four-lens camera that allowed professionals to deliver a dozen portraits in different poses and much cheaper than daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, whose validity definitively collapsed. This fashion that settled in the Río de la Plata around 1860, notably multiplied photographic studies and the profusion and circulation of thousands of portraits gave birth to the photographic album.
Finally, this series of iconographic findings reaffirms a concept that we coined some time ago: "Ancient photography still holds great mysteries... We just need to get on that time machine and travel to stories that surprise."
Notes:
[1] I had researched it when studying Freemasonry and photography in Argentina -Freemason Photographers of the 19th Century-, where I deal with my ancestor Adolfo Alexander, a Freemason, who photographed him on his trip to Buenos Aires.
[2] We thank Felipe Cirullo, Uruguayan, medical doctor, collector and researcher of old photography.
[3] Gustavo San Román, Juan Mac Coll and his guide for emigrants to Uruguay, in “Feeling the place, Dialogues Uruguay - Scotland”, Montevideo, University of the Republic, Linardi and Risso, 2011, p. 70.
[4] Opened in 1863, the firm advertised its activity under the company name Artistic Photography of Desiderio Jouant Hermanos. In 1865 it was still domiciled in its original headquarters, on Calle de los 33, next to the English temple, at number 196.
[5] We appreciate the information provided by Alberto del Pino Menck.
[6] Years later, this company was in charge of bringing from England the lantern that served in the Flores Island lighthouse.
[7] Alcibiades Lappas, Argentine Freemasonry through its men, Buenos Aires. 1966.
We appreciate the kindness of Ms. Anilán Nievas, from the Special Materials area, National Library of Uruguay, Ministry of Education and Culture.